There’s never been a hotter time for the food industry to jump on the hot sauce bandwagon, as 56 percent of US households report keeping a bottle on hand in their kitchens, according to new research from market analyst, the NPD Group. And the increased consumption isn’t limited to inside the home either; foodservice distributors report shipments to restaurants and other service outlets have increased by double digits in the past two years, according to the researchers.
“Hot sauce is clearly part of the diet of many US consumers, and it’s a food that crosses gender, age, ethnicity and income,” says Annie Roberts, vice president, NPD SupplyTrack. “Hot or pepper sauce is a large seasoning category, and for foodservice manufacturers and operators, it’s about understanding the category’s share, where the category is growing and where it isn’t, and from which other categories it’s stealing share.”